The path to the senior national team is not far from the U21. At least that’s the message that coach Antonio Di Salvo’s players take with them at the start of the European Championship year. A debutant wants to recommend himself.
The promotion of some team-mates gives the Under-21 players even more encouragement in the year ahead of their home European Championship.
“You see who gets called up for the senior team. Players you’ve played with and know well. You know things can move fast. In football it’s fast up and fast down,” said Jamie Leweling from 1. FC Union Berlin. The 22-year-old attacking player is back with the U21 national team after a break in November and is hoping for his tenth international match.
Coach Antonio Di Salvo has to do without the previous U21 internationals Kevin Schade, Felix Nmecha, Josha Vagnoman and Malick Thiaw, who were called up for the senior national team for the first time. Armel Bella Kotchap, who was part of national coach Hansi Flick’s squad at the World Cup in Qatar, is also not in the U21s. The exceptional talents Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz are only suitable for the senior national team anyway. They are intended as essential pillars of the national team for the 2024 home European Championship.
“The way there is not so far”
“The way there is not as far as you might have thought at first,” said Hertha professional Jessic Ngankam. He wants to do good work. A promotion to the senior national team in the future would certainly be “a cool thing”. He is hoping for his first international match with the U21s.
The U21s want to get a good feeling at the start of their European Championship year. For Ngankam & Co. it is the last chance to recommend themselves for a tournament ticket. Coach Antonio Di Salvo’s selection meets Japan on Friday (6:15 p.m. / ProSieben Maxx) in Frankfurt. The away game against Romania is four days later.
After the friendlies, the U21s will meet again on June 10th in Prad/South Tyrol to prepare for the European Championship finals in a training camp until June 18th and to test their form there again. The German team travel to the tournament, which takes place in Georgia and Romania from June 21 to July 8, as the defending champions. Opponents in the preliminary round are Israel, the Czech Republic and England. The team easily qualified for the tournament. (dpa)